


All You Could Ever Want

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Multi, Sharing a Bed, Slow Romance, Tickle Fights, Visions, Wil is the Ellcrys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 17:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8632816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: AU in which Wil, not Amberle, sacrificed himself to become the Ellcrys. A vision from the new Ellcrys sends the grief-stricken Amberle to rescue Eretria; he wants them to be together again, and happy. Yet it will take a while before the two women finally realise what they all desire.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheeana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheeana/gifts).



> Your DYA letter prompt about Wil being the one to sacrifice himself inspired this fic; I tried to get some Wil/Amberle/Eretria in there as well as some eventual Amberle/Eretria and I hope you enjoy it :)

Amberle was grief-stricken.

Wil had found a way, using the Elfstones, to switch places with Amberle at the last moment. Amberle had been devastated. She had thought she would have to sacrifice everything, including Wil, but not like that. To become the Ellcrys herself was something she had reluctantly accepted, but for Wil to trade his life for hers was another matter.

What restored Amberle's spirit was that, as she lay in a trance that was neither wakefulness nor sleep, exhausted from weeping at the foot of the new Ellcrys, she experienced her first vision from the new Ellcrys.

Wil, beautiful as she remembered, was standing on a beach, smiling.

She threw herself into his arms, hugged him, kissed him, scolded him, told him she missed him.

"I will always be with you," Wil promised. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, stared into her eyes. "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything."

"I made a promise I cannot now keep. Will you fulfil it?"

Amberle nodded fervently.

"Go back and rescue Eretria."

Amberle sat bolt upright, fully awake and newly energised. Guilt washed over her. Eretria! How could she have forgotten the rover's sacrifice and their pledge to return for her?

"I'm coming, Eretria," Amberle vowed, running her hands along the Ellcry's trunk. "I will find her, Wil. I promise."

**

Amberle returned to rescue Eretria, though things went differently to how she had imagined they would. Eretria was a captive but also revered and was reluctant to leave at first.

Still, after many arguments, complicated by Eretria's own grief over Wil, the decision to leave was made. Then came Eretria's rebellion and at last they escaped SafeHold and returned to Arborlon.

Eretria sat at the base of the Ellcrys, wrapped her arms around its trunk. "You stupid half-Elf," she said affectionately. "You had to be the hero, didn't you?"

Amberle waited nearby, watching. Eretria moved to sit with her back against the trunk and gestured for Amberle to come close. They sat together, Amberle leaning on Eretria's shoulder, both of them leaning on the Ellcrys that was all they had left of Wil.

"What now?" Eretria asked.

"I don't know," Amberle said, but she felt hopeful once more.

**

Eretria moved over to Amberle's bedroll where Amberle was not just awake but sitting up and shivering. She slipped one arm around Amberle. "Another vision?"

She nodded. Eretria squeezed her tight, hiding her jealousy. Only Amberle ever received communications from the Ellcrys; dreams of Wil, sometimes instructions and other times pleasant exchanges.

"It's probably because I'm an elf," she'd told Eretria, "and a protector of the Ellcrys. It's not that he didn't – doesn't – love you too. He always tells me that. That he loves us both and he wants us to be happy, together."

"He said we have to go over the river and not take the mountain path," Amberle said.

"All right." Eretria kissed Amberle's hair. Wil-as-Ellcrys was less cryptic than the previous tree, and gave them good advice as they undertook the quests he sent them on. "But he said more than that for you to be shaking like this."

"I'm cold," Amberle lied. Eretria scoffed, held her closer. "Let's get under the covers."

Eretria grabbed her own bedroll and they made a nest of the shared bedding, while lying close together let them share their body heat. Amberle relaxed, one hand resting on Eretria's hip.

"He said he loves us both," Amberle said sleepily.

"Let me guess, he also he wants us to be happy? Easier to do when he isn't sending us off to climb mountains looking for ancient jewels," Eretria retorted.

"You get bored at the palace," Amberle said, stifling a yawn. "You enjoy these quests. He knows that. I think he finds things for us to do. So we can be together, being useful and…"

"And what?" Eretria nudged Amberle with one elbow.

"I can't forget him," Amberle whispered. "He was everything I thought I wanted."

Eretria blinked away tears of her own.

"And you loved him too," Amberle acknowledged. "But I can't – I mean I – I shouldn't want – I'm supposed to marry and produce an heir."

Eretria's brow crinkled. "The king may yet marry," she said. "Don't let the burden of an heir fall solely on you. There's no hurry anyway, princess. You and your uncle are both young and strong."

Amberle blinked, tried to force herself awake. "I don't mean I want to marry another man," she said. "I will always love Wil and always remember what we had while he lived. But what if I wanted something else? Someone else."

Eretria held her breath.

"You," Amberle said, so softly Eretria was worried she might have imagined it.

Eretria leaned in, claimed Amberle's mouth, a gentle kiss to test the waters.

"Yes," Amberle said, with sudden clarity. "That's what Wil wants."

"So he can watch us?" Eretria tried for indignant but this was Wil-who-was-a-tree they were talking about and it was hard to get self-righteous. Truth was, Eretria would gladly have welcomed both Wil and Amberle into her bed had they only made it clear this had ever been an option.

Amberle giggled. "No – though, maybe. What he most wanted was for me to acknowledge how much I love you."

Eretria stared into Amberle's eyes. "You love me?" She didn't mean to sound so incredulous nor so needy.

"Of course I love you!" Amberle reached up, clasped Eretria's face between her palms and kissed her.

They spent some time exchanging kisses and exploring each other's bodies with their hands. There would be time for more later, preferably indoors, with less clothing to contend with.

"You never said it before," Eretria said at last, cuddling up and running her tongue along the edge of Amberle's ear from lobe to pointed tip. "That you love me."

"I'm sorry. But you have never said it either."

"I thought I made it plain I was interested."

"I need more than interested," Amberle said, her tone serious. "If we do this, if I commit to this, it is for always."

Eretria was silent a moment. "That's a long time, princess."

"Can't handle it, rover?" Amberle teased.

"Handle this!" Eretria began tickling Amberle and the two women rolled about, giggling and play-fighting until they were lying exhausted on the damp grass, in the twilight that preceded dawn.

Amberle sat up. "Who needs sleep?" she proclaimed. "Let's go and get this jewel and get back to the palace and real beds!"

"I have never loved you more," Eretria proclaimed.

**

Three weeks later, Eretria was spooning Amberle, both women sleeping soundly. There had been some initial consternation about the arrangement and a few sharp remarks but Ander, darling Uncle Ander, _King_ Ander who swore he'd make Eretria royalty if required, had taken their side. Not everyone approved but few people were now openly hostile.

Amberle found herself on the beach, Wil waiting for her as always. Except this time Eretria was here too, stunned but happy.

Wil held out his arms and Eretria ran to him, hugging tightly. Then Amberle joined them and they stood for several minutes saying nothing, Wil embracing them both.

"I want you to be together, and happy," he said. "Why did it take so long for you to realise what I meant?"

"You Ellcrys are always so cryptic," Amberle said.

"And we weren't going to do things just because a tree told us to," Eretria added.

Wil laughed. "You two deserve each other," he said in mock anger. He let them go.

"I will always watch over you," he said. "And I know you will watch over each other, and love each other, always. And that's all I could ever want."

And Amberle and Eretria looked at each other, knowing that in that moment it was all they could ever want too.


End file.
